Interview From leto_lapin

Thanks a lot, Leto! Sorry it's taken so long to actually do this thing.

You seem to be a very spiritual person. What led you to the spiritual path you're on today?

I guess I've kind of been a spiritual person all of my life, and every step I've taken on this path is connected to the last one. I couldn't really say what's caused me to take a particular turn as opposed to something different -- the journey has been so fluid it all seems natural, sensical. Of course, this could just be me being too close to the 'box' I'm in to see all sides clearly.

Anywho, what attracted me to Buddhism right off was the sense of peace, joy and compassion that are the highest aims of it. The aim is to simply be happy, and be a good person. While most paths, if not all, have this aim, the simplicity of the method appeals to me. You're *already* happy, and you're *already* a good person, you don't see it yet. Just get past the bs, and it's there.

Who is your favorite fictional character and why? Is this someone you admire or someone you identify with?

Oooh, good one. :) I'd have to say Baron Munchausen. Seeing the movie at a very young age warped me right off. He was such a...smooth character, even when he was being a completely bumbling idiot, that I kind of base my model for growing old gracefully off of him. This says a lot. ;) If I'm *half* that cool at twice his age (216, I believe), then I'll consider my life a success.

Suppose I get the chance to visit NARFA for a week. What can I expect to do and see, and who would I hang out with (besides you, of course...that's understood. ;) )

If you get the chance to visit NARFA for a week, I really do hope you have a strong liver, or at least have a tolerance for drinking, because you'll be subjected to a spontaneous drinking party at least once. :) Things don't get out of hand (we've all kind of mellowed in our old age), but we do enjoy our imbibement!

There'll be mini-golf (of course), fast food, bad movies, really *great* movies (I think 2 might subject you to the "JFK" test), lots of female bonding with Reah and Virginia, and discussions on this and that. We're fairly friendly folks, and we love to talk almost as much as we love to drink. ;)

How do you picture yourself 10 years from now?

I think I'll be living a lot more quietly. Beyond that, I really don't know. :) Ask me 10 years ago if I thought I'd be Buddhist and living in Arkansas, I'd say, "What's a Buddhist?" and "What's an Arkansas?"

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

I have a short list of three possible places: the Pacific Northwest (Eugene, Spokane, Vancouver), anywhere in Australia and anywhere in Great Britain. All three are very rich in culture and mythology, and I could really get into ingraining myself in the local mythos, learning all the stories, appreciating what makes the place so unique. :)

If anyone wants to be interviewed, or wants to ask me questions besides, feel free!

Interview From ka_crow

Thanks a lot, Crow! I'm...working on your questions. Really. :)

All the corvid people have been asking each other this, so I'll be traditional: How did you come to Raven as a totem, and do you find corvid aspects in your personality?

Well, Raven came to me, really. He just kind of popped up one winter and went, "I'm here. Learn or not." And I went, "OK." And that was that. Lately, I think he's kind of backed off because I haven't been listening, and that's totally my mistake.

I think I've got corvidae traits deep down, but really I'm the most non-raven raven I know. A lot of it just has to do with confidence, and just being too much of a bleeding heart to let people deal with their own problems. ;)

As a Buddhist (or as a totemist, or as an admirer of Christian philosophy, etc.), how do you deal with antigay intolerance?

There are those people who think that homosexuality is wrong and unnatural, and they have their reasons. They're totally free to think that. :) Intolerance, though, is another issue entirely, and I think there's a bigger problem at work there. Intolerance isn't about being gay, or black, or Pagan, or whatever...it's about a fundamental lack of compassion for the people around you, failing to see them as people. I think that if you take away all of the 'obvious' differences, they'd be just as shitty to some other person they felt was beneath them because say, he shops at Target instead of WalMart. People will create reasons to hate, and intolerance is just a symptom of a much larger problem. So, I tend to sidestep that and try to find out what's *really* going on.

You've been given $bignum dollars with the stipulation that it must be spent on travel. Where do you go?

I have to limit myself to one place?

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